


The Hater Empire Archives

by sky_maiden



Series: The WOY Chronicles [1]
Category: Wander Over Yonder
Genre: F/M, My First AO3 Post, multiple OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-18 08:51:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 11,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14209566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sky_maiden/pseuds/sky_maiden
Summary: The chronicles of the mighty Hater Empire.





	1. 2003: The Formation

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find this on WattPad.

Hater couldn't remember the last time he was so excited. Today was the day he was going to the planet of the Watchdogs, Vein. The planet was an urban paradise. It had bustling businesses, attracting The tourist destinations and military bases dotted around the landscape. 

The young Lord was so lost in his joy, however, that he neglected to realise he was about to crash into a small figure. 

Five seconds later, and the books that the figure had been holding crashed to the floor. Hater, realising his mistake, began apologising profusely to the Watchdog. 

"I'm so sorry, let me help you."

The Watchdog was quite small for his age, but spoke in a manner far more mature than it. 

"Don't worry. It's okay."  
"At least let me help you up."

He looked at Lord Hater's hand dubiously, but took it gratefully. 

"Thank you."  
"What's your name?"  
"My name is Peepers. Peepers Eyesore. And you are?"  
"They call me Lord Hater."  
"I haven't seen anyone of your species around here. What brings you to Vein?"  
"I'm a new villain, so I'm trying to find soldiers for the army."

Peepers looked thoughtful. He soon replied. 

"There's a military base just a few miles south of here. And there are more around the planet. You're sure to find some soldiers around here."  
"I know I will. But when it comes to sign ups, I don't just want anyone to sign up first. I want you to sign up first."

The shock on Peepers' face that followed was backed up by a small squeak. 

"Me?"  
"Yeah. You don't have to give an answer now. You can think about it first, consult your parents. Sign ups won't start until you've given an answer."

Hater passed a piece of paper. It was his number. 

"Call me when you've thought about it."  
"Thanks."

———

Peepers thought about what the skeleton had offered all night. In the morning, he came to a decision. But he had to call someone first. His parents were military officers themselves, and had wanted him to follow in their footsteps. It wasn't his parents he was calling though. It was Eyela Pupil, his girlfriend. He waited anxiously for her voice on the other end. 

"Peepers?"  
"Hey, Eyela."  
"Okay, what happened? You can tell me."  
"I... just got a job offer."  
"Peepers, that's amazing! I'm so happy for-"  
Peepers hated cutting her off, but he had to tell her. "In an army."  
"Oh."  
"And I've decided to take it up. I'm sorry. It means that I'll be away a  
lot."  
"Peepers, it's okay. If you really want to join, then you can."  
"Are you sure Eyela?"  
"I'm sure. Besides, you'll visit during your leaves, right?"  
"Definitely. Thanks for letting me do this."  
"No problem. You go and follow your calling."  
"See you Eyela."  
"See you Peepers."

Peepers hung up, happy to be free to join the army. He dialled the number that Lord Hater had given him. A gruff voice said, "Hello?" On the other end. 

"It's Peepers. Calling about the job you offered?"  
"Oh yeah. Have you made a decision yet?"  
"I have, and I have decided that it would be an honour to work for you. I'm in."  
"Great! You think you can meet me at the military base you mentioned at about 5:00 this afternoon?"  
"Yes sir! I'm on my way!"


	2. 2004-2006: The Population Explosion

"Peepers, you need to stop pacing. I'm not sure the floor is up to it."

The recently appointed Commander stopped and turned to his Lord. "I know sir. I'm just a little worried."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, Army numbers are increasing, and I'm happy about that, but apart from me, there's no commanding officers."

"I get it. Are you worried that you won't be able to handle them by yourself?"

Peepers sighed. 

"Kinda."

"Don't worry about it C. Peeps. It'll be fine."

"It's not just that I'm worried about. At the moment, the entire army is in one military base, and there's not even enough room. What will happen to the living conditions if more Watchdogs join, and the Empire has no home base. We'll certainly need one, if we're going to take over the galaxy."

"Universe, Peepers. Universe."

"Right."

"Peepers, we'll start building a ship soon. Right now, let's focus on getting the numbers up. We need at least 2 million soldiers."

"Yes sir."

———

The next few months saw a huge increase in military personnel. Hater and Peepers had to use 3 bases to house everyone. The Empire was all set to take over. They just needed one thing. A ship. 


	3. 2007: The Blueprints

The blue construction paper sat innocently on the Commander's desk. As Peepers spun his pencil in his hand, he thought hard about what the base should look like. Lord Hater had mentioned that he wanted it to look like him, obviously. The young Lord was at least certain of that. It meant the Commander, the mechanics, the engineers, anyone involved with building this ship, knew where to start.   
The door creaked as another Watchdog walked in. It was Lieutenant Nerve, Peepers' roommate. Nerve gave an almost indistinguishable chuckle when he saw his Commander and friend still up. 

"Burning the midnight oil, sir?"

Peepers jumped, but calmed down once he saw who it was. He gave a chuckle of his own. 

"You know you can call me Peepers out of work, Nerve."

Nerve ignored this remark. 

"And you know you need to get some sleep. You've been working on this for hours. Since 4 in the morning. It's not like it's going anywhere. You can work on it again once you've gotten some rest."

Peepers gave an exasperated sigh, then got out of his chair, grabbed his pyjamas, and entered the bathroom to get changed. Nerve knew that it was a small victory. If the Lieutenant knew Peepers at all, he knew that the Commander was one of the most dedicated Watchdogs in the army, and would not rest properly until the job was done. Nerve had just gotten ready for bed himself, and was reading when Lord Hater burst in. Nerve gave a sigh before facing the electrical skeleton. 

"What can I do for you sir?"

"Where's Peepers?"

"Getting ready for bed." Whispering, he added, "And I want it to stay that way."

"Well, let him know that I want to see him in the morning."

"What time?" The Lieutenant asked through gritted teeth. 

"11." 

"Okay, sir. I'll tell him."

"Good. See ya!"

Nerve gave a low sigh. Peepers walked in, dressed in black and red vertically striped pyjamas and uniform and helmet in hand. He set his work clothes on the bed side table, and climbed into bed. 

"Commander Peepers?"

"Yes, Nerve?"

"Lord Hater wants to see you at 11 tomorrow."

"Thanks." Said the Commander, writing down the time as a reminder. 

"Night sir." Nerve stated, yawning as he rolled onto his side. Peepers rolled his eye, and laid down himself. 

"Goodnight Nerve.”


	4. 2008: The Skullship

"What do you think sir?"

Hater was hardly paying attention to his Commander, and was playing around with a pen he had 'borrowed' from the front desk. 

"Huh?" 

Peepers sighed, and had to repeat himself. Again. 

"What do you think of the ship sir?"  
"Well, it could use some smooching rooms, but that's about it. Everything else is amazing. You really outdid yourself with those plans Peepers."  
"Sir, you don't have to thank me. Thank the people who built it."  
"Okay, I will. Where's my room again?"

Peepers rolled his eye slightly, then replied,

"It's that way sir. First door on the right."  
"Ta!"  
"And watch you don't step on the wires! The electricians haven't sorted them out yet!"  
"Gotcha!"

Peepers tutted affectionately as he walked towards his own room. He still had some down time before he had to get ready for a weekend conference. 

Once inside his room, he picked up a book and started reading. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before he was interrupted again. His communicator gave an ungodly screech. Sighing, with his head still in the book he was reading, he leaned over to grab it. He groaned when he saw the caller ID. Knucklehead. 

The leader of the Fistfighters probably wanted to make fun of his height again. Reluctantly, he answered. 

"Yes, what is it?" The Commander asked, dragging out the sentence. He was not in the mood. Of course, Knucklehead was just as obnoxious and self centred as his boss, Emperor Awesome, and was not one to care about people's feelings.  
"Sup Peeps? How you been?"  
Peepers had to grit his teeth in order to continue this awful conversation.  
"I'm fine. How are you?"  
"I'm cool bro."  
It took all the Watchdog had to not facepalm. Instead, he gave another deep sigh.  
"Get to the point Knucklehead. Why did you call me?"  
"Take a chill pill dude. Just calling to check if you remembered the conference."

Ah yes, the conference. Specifically for second in commands. It was annual, and the one time he could make peace talks with possible future allies. 

"I didn't forget. I've just been busy. The Skullship's only just been built and I've been making sure the troops are settled. Speaking of ships, how's the limo coming?"  
"Great dude. We just got to the halfway point. See you at the conference! Bye!"

And just like that, the Fistfighter hung up. That was one of the reasons why not many people liked him. He was way too abrupt for Peeper's liking. 

The Commander stood, put the book down, and got ready for the conference. He had to tell Lord Hater as well. 

———

"Sir, I'm only gonna be gone for a few days. Are you sure you'll be able to take care of everything?" Asked the Commander, suitcase in hand.  
"Don't worry C. Peeps. I'll manage."  
"Good, because I've got to go now. Taxis here. Remember to check the map every once in a while, listen to Lieutenant Nerve, and leave your communicator on."  
"See ya!" Hater watched as the Watchdog Commander got in the taxi. The Lord had to admit, he'd never really had to take charge of the ship. That had, admittedly, been Peeper's job. He didn't even know how to get around it. 

———

Turns out, within ten minutes, everything turned to chaos. Hater hid in his room for the next three days waiting for Peepers to get home, leaving Nerve to handle the troops. The Lieutenant lost hope on the last day, until he realised what the Commander's reaction would be to this mess. He had to pull himself and the troops together. 

Nerve checked the clock. Midday. Commander Peepers would be back in a few hours. He still had time. 

He made it to the bridge, and at the top of his lungs broadcast over the PA: "Eyes up, Watchdogs!"  
Nerve grinned as they turned their huge eyeball heads towards the system outputs in the corridors. They were listening to him for once. "Commander Peepers will be back in four hours, and I'm sure he'd want to see this ship in one piece. SO GET CLEANING!"

That seemed to get to them, and Nerve sighed in relief as they rushed to tidy up after themselves. 

Hater daringly peered out his room to Watchdogs everywhere with feather dusters and brooms. One waved at the Lord. Hater raised a non existent eyebrow, and stepped out to reluctantly "help". In truth, he was a little scared of what Peeper's would say if the ship was an absolute tip. The Commander would never trust Hater alone with the army again. 

———

"Wow." That was all Peepers could say. "Just, wow."  
Hater and Nerve beamed as the Commander surveyed the ship. It was completely cleaned from top to bottom.  
"I trust you were able to do fine without me then."  
"Yes." They said together in cheerful tones.  
"Good. Because I have another conference in a month or so."

It has been said that the resounding "DON'T GO!" that followed was heard all over the system they currently inhabited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. That’s enough chapters for today. If you want the full story ahead of it being fully posted on the archive, please head to my WattPad, fiction_house_32.


	5. 2009: The Population Explosion

The bunks were full. The army could no longer accept new recruits. At least not now. Training was all that mattered. They had to start conquering soon, or all the preparations that had been made would have been wasted. 

The training sessions were 1 hour each, with different watchdogs in each 'class'. 

The commanding officers didn't just have to learn fighting skills and techniques, they also needed to learn what to do in an emergency situation, hence why Peepers was learning as well. Lieutenant Nerve was always talking about the things they learned afterwards. The two had quickly formed a close bond, and were more than happy to help each other out. 

The friends had just walked out of the training room looking very exhausted indeed. As the next class filed in, their drill instructor waved goodbye. 

The drill instructor, Jim, looked just as tired as the newly trained soldiers. Came with doing his job nonstop for 10 hours a day. Peepers and Nerve shared worried looks. It was quite clear to both of them that their friend needed a break. 

Peepers paced the room, wondering what to do about the instructor. He eventually settled on letting him go on leave early. The Commander looked at the clock. Good. It was almost time for training. He would tell Jim then. 

As Peepers grabbed his bag and made his way towards the door, he heard scuffling outside. He took a deep breath, and opened it. Before him were two of the cadets. Jim was struggling to keep the two apart, but glanced up when he saw Peepers approach. The Commander tapped his foot when the cadets paid no attention. When they still didn't notice, he cleared his throat. That did the trick. They stopped abruptly,  looked up slowly, then looked at each other, and finally scrambled to get up and salute. After a rather clumsy attempt to do so and a shaky, "Sir!" they looked very guilty as the Commander began his scolding. 

"I hope there's a good explanation for this." He began calmly.   
"Not really."  
"Try. Now!!"  
One of the cadets started, "Well,"  
He stuttered slightly before realising he didn't know what to say, "We can't explain."

Peepers sighed before giving out their punishment.   
"You're both on probation for 3 months."

The cadets gave a sad salute and replied, "Yes sir."

After they left, Jim looked towards the Commander.

"Jim, I wanted to tell you that you can take your leave early."  
"Thanks sir, but I'm fine with waiting."  
"No buts Jim. You need some rest."  
"Okay sir, but who'll train the watchdogs?"  
"They can take a few weeks break. So long as they are exercising."  
Jim hesitated, but gave up. "Okay. I'll go. In fact, I'll pack after today's sessions. I'll meet you in the training room." 

Peepers nodded and walked towards the training room. Jim would hopefully start taking care of himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many OCs...


	6. 2010: The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peepers has been working too hard.

Nerve and Jim shook their heads and eye palmed respectively. Commander Peepers was at it again, working himself to the bone. They were more than a little worried when they found out he hadn't had any sleep. Jim nervously asked, "Everything okay C. Peeps?"  
"Never better Jim. I've almost finished these plans."  
"Plans sir?"  
"Invasion plans. If Lord Hater is gonna be ruling planets any time soon, we all need to start conquering them."  
"We've got plenty of time to get the invasions up and running."  
"Jim, I appreciate your concern, but this army was formed 7 years ago. 7!"  
"Touché."

Nerve started to get into the conversation. 

"Why don't you consult Lord Hater about the plans you have?"  
"You know what, I will."

Peepers rose from his seat, papers in hand. Nerve muttered, "I didn't mean now."

"Sir, please be careful. I don't remember the last time you slept. You look exhausted." Warned Jim.  
Peepers looked slightly amused. "I'll be fine. Don't worry. I'll get some rest as soon as these invasions are passed to Lord Hater."

But as the Commander made his way to find Lord Hater, Nerve and Jim only got more worried. 

———

A panicked voice came over Nerve's comm. It was Hater. 

"Nerve! Need help! Peepers..."  
The Lieutenant's anxiety was rising, with no sign of stopping. "What is it Sir? Calm down. Take deep breaths." He waited for Hater to do so. When he did, Nerve continued, "Okay, what happened, Sir?"  
The Lord said, calmer, "Me and Peepers were just talking about the invasion plans when he suddenly collapsed."

Nerve and Jim exchanged knowing looks. Jim gave him instructions. "Sir, is he still breathing steadily?"  
"Yeah, he is."  
"That's good. All you need to do is get him to the med bay. Do you think you can do that?"  
"Yeah. Where is the med bay?"  
"You're in the planning room, right?"  
"Yep."  
"Head out and turn to the left. The med bay is at the end of the corridor. Myself and Nerve will meet you there."

Nerve gave a sigh, and they both went to the med bay themselves.

———

"He'll be okay. He just needs plenty of rest."  
The trio in the med bay waiting anxiously gave glad sighs. The relieved smiles were reinforced by a low groan that was made by Peepers on the hospital bed. The Commander tried to sit up, but was gently pushed back on the bed by Jim. 

"What happened?"  
"You collapsed in the planning room, sir." The medic on hand explained. "You just need plenty of rest."  
Nerve said, "You really overworked yourself this time."  
"Thanks for the help."  
"No problem, Peeps."

Hater interrupted, "Peepers, I don't want to see you working for a couple weeks. That's an order."  
"Yes Sir!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww... Hater does care...


	7. 2011: The Invasion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beware. Short chapters ahead.

The Skullship sat silently on the hill. At least, that's what an outsider would see. Those on board would know the chaos that took place inside. 

It was there for a reason. Today was the day of the very first invasion. Pretty soon, Watchdogs would burst from the ship in squadrons, ready to unleash their military might on the planet. At least, that's the plan. 

First invasion, first battlefield. Hopefully, the first planet of the Hater Empire. 

The planet in question was the habitat of many intelligent species. It used to be at least. Since then, many had died off, leaving room for a new dominant species. 

The Watchdogs. 

———

The overall battle? Not bad for the first invasion of this particular army. The inexperience of the soldiers led to several injuries and casualties caused by rebels protecting their planet, but the Watchdogs managed to beat the remainder of native soldiers. 

Lord Hater and Commander Peepers were obviously quite pleased with the results, if their expressions and tones during the debriefing were able to tell you anything. 

The positive reinforcements from their Lord and Commander that day were the last any of the Watchdogs could remember until many years into the future, as the leaders and army got into the villainous mindset more and more each day...


	8. 2012: The Problem

"And another planet conquered..." Mumbled the Commander, marking off yet another planet as a colony of the Hater Empire. "We're making great progress, sir."  
"Good."  
"Unfortunately, reports are coming in about a furry orange Star Nomad and a blue Zbornak. They've been disturbing our operations for ages."

This made Hater groan in exasperation. Of course, the second the Empire was a success, someone would come to end that success. He sighed before asking his second in command, "Any names?"  
"I think they're called Wander and Sylvia."

Another groan. "Peepers, keep up with the invasions. Don't let them foil any more plans."  
After he caught Peepers' salute, he leapt off his throne and headed towards the control room. These two couldn't foil anything. Right?

Whatever the case, the Army was strong enough, and had enough planets and resources, to handle two measly do-gooders. Hopefully...


	9. 2017: The Engagement

The Lord stared at the female Watchdog, who was holding his Commander's hand. He took one glance at the ring on her finger, and automatically made the connection. So this was Peepers' fiancé? 

Sweating profusely, he tried to strike up a conversation. "Soooo, Eyela... how've you been for the past few years?"  
She raised a non existent eyebrow before replying, "I've been doing fine. How are you?"  
"Great, great..." He said nervously. It was pretty much common knowledge that Hater acted awkwardly around girls, which was why there was hardly any female Watchdogs in the army. 

Hater's thoughts were interrupted by Peepers' voice. "Sir, we better get going. We've got to plan for the wedding."  
"When is it?"  
"Next month."  
"You two are really cutting it close."  
Eyela cut in, "We would have told everyone sooner, but you know how busy everyone's been recently, with the rebuilding of the galaxy and all." 

Hater just nodded. As the lovebirds walked away, he heard Peepers say, "Sir, I want you to be my best man."  
The Lord looked puzzled, but then smiled. Just a little. 

Smiling a warm smile felt strange, but at the same time, it felt right. Sure, he was afraid of losing Peepers' friendship, but he was happy his buddy had found someone.


	10. 2018: The Twins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No comment...

All seemed quiet on board the Skullship. The motors keeping it in the air hummed gently. Suddenly, the engines roared into life, igniting the trail behind them. 

One might ask the inhabitants, why the sudden hurry? They'd answer in a very panicked way. 

Commander Peepers and Eyela Pupil (now Eyesore), got married almost exactly one year ago, give or take a few days. Speaking of which, the wedding almost went off without a hitch. Sure, Hater was a little, well, terrible at giving best man speeches it turned out. Wander was WAY too excited, and kept screeching, "HAPPILY EVER AFTER!!" in the couples's ears. Sylvia kept getting into fights with the Watchdogs. And the Watchdogs themselves? Some crying, some laughing, and others fighting with Sylvia. 

At this particular moment in time, they were heading for a hospital. Why? Eyela was in labour. 

It started with how any childbirth starts, then Eyela told Peepers, Peepers kind of panicked, and now, here they were. 

This was gonna be a long day...

———

"Congratulations Mr and Mrs Eyesore! You have a healthy baby boy!" Pronounced the midwife, a kindly woman who was always just as excited as new parents were. It kinda reminded Peepers of someone. 

Eyela carefully took the infant from the midwifes arms, although exhausted, beaming a happy smile. Peepers had the exact same expression. 

The midwifes voice broke into their individual thoughts. "Do you know what you want to call him?"  
The couple looked at each other in agreement, and Eyela replied, "His name is Cornea. Cornea Eyesore."

———

The screams of pain of the mother had vanished. The ones outside the room automatically breathed a sigh of relief. Wander panicked breath calmed. Sylvia stopped pacing. And Hater finally stopped bashing his face into the wall. 

A few minutes later, Peepers burst out of the door. "Guys! Over here!" It was at that moment that the other three realised they were outside the wrong room. Peepers continued when they finally got there. "It's a boy!"

A whoop of happiness came from all of them, especially Wander. As they filed in, they saw something that made their hearts swell with happiness. Eyela held the baby close, a smile etched onto her face. She weakly said, "His name is Cornea."

Everyone's thoughts were then interrupted by the midwifes voice. "Are you ready for the second one?"  
They all stared in shock.   
Sylvia asked what everyone thought, "You mean... they're twins?!!"


	11. 2019: The Childcarers

"That's enough for today, men. Today's meeting is at an end." Peepers told the officials in the boardroom. They all nodded, packing up. Most of them left, but others who had questions stayed behind to ask the Commander about their concerns. 

A small head poked up from the other end of the table. The young Watchdog made her way towards her father. She tugged on his trouser leg, trying to get his attention. At this point, he'd just finished talking to the last straggler. When the two adults saw her, they both smiled, despite their training about not smiling. Peepers picked Iris up with a big grin, and held her close as the other Watchdog dismissed himself. 

When the door closed, Peepers put on a tone of mock seriousness, "And just what do you think you're doing?"  
Iris muttered a bunch of mainly unintelligible baby talk. 

———

"So, anything happen today?"  
"Iris was being a little more cheeky than usual. She came up to me after today's meeting."  
"You can't hold a pair like Cornea and Iris back."  
"Yeah. They remind me of some one. Speaking of, Wander and Sylvia are coming to babysit tonight."  
Eyela sighed with relief, "Thank grop. I don't think we'll leave the twins with Hater again."

———

"Baby Food is in the kitchen. Milk is with it in the fridge. Help yourselves to anything you fancy. We'll be back in about 4 hours." Explained Peepers.   
"You sure you can handle them? They may still be small, but they are still a handful."  
"Shucks, guys! You can totally trust us with the twins." Said an enthusiastic Wander, smiling, but struggling to keep a hold on Cornea.   
Eyela smiled at her sons antics.   
"You guys better get going, or you'll miss your booking." Said an anxious Sylvia.   
The couple nodded, walking towards the Commander's ship. They waved behind the windshield before taking off. 

———

"Peekaboo!" Said Wander. He happily played with the two kids. They gasped in amazement whenever he disappeared, only to reveal himself a second later. Sylvia grunted in a mixture of happiness and slight annoyance.   
"Are you gonna help feed em, buddy?"  
"Sorry Syl, got a little carried away there." He smiled back at the babies, who reached forward for him when he got up from the floor. 

Then it started. The crying. The babysitters covered their ears, and rushed to calm them down. 

———

About 3 hours later, and the parents ship pulled up in the docking bay. 

Nerve rushed toward them when they got out.   
"Sir! Ma'am! Thank grop you're home!"  
Peepers and Eyela exchanged glances, already knowing what was going on. They burst into the family chambers, only to find Wander and Sylvia collapsed on the floor, the twins bouncing on top of their babysitters, the room a mess, and Lord Hater frantically trying to clear up. 

The second they stepped into the room, with Eyela's hands on her hips and Peepers with his arms crossed, the chaos immediately stopped. The kids scrambled off of their babysitters, Wander and Sylvia themselves stood to attention and Lord Hater looked very nervous. 

When it finally stopped, two very angry parents and a line of people were in the room. Peepers didn't look impressed, and he certainly didn't sound impressed either.   
"What exactly happened?"  
Hater explained to his Commander EXACTLY. After the explanation, they weren't angry anymore, just disappointed. Eyela looked slightly emotional.   
"The reason we let you look after the kids was because we were in a good mood." The people before the couple gained looks of puzzlement and confusion. "Peepers, should I tell them?" When her husband nodded, Eyela explained. "I took a pregnancy test a couple of days ago. It was positive. We're having another baby."   
When shock replaced confusion, Peepers took over the explanation.   
"We went out to celebrate. Sorry we didn't say sooner."

Wander, naturally, burst with happiness first. "That. Is. The best news EVER!"  
"Congrats, you Optic Nerds."  
"Yeah, whatever. Just take care of yourself while you're on maternity leave Eyela."

With that, the Lord walked out. The others knew better. They knew he was just as excited as the parents. 

Cornea and Iris crawled toward their parents, hanging onto them tight. They were gonna be big siblings!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m off on holiday. No wifi, so you won’t be seeing any more updates for about 5 days. Don’t worry though. Like I already said, the full story is already on WattPad.


	12. 2020: The Sibling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back!
> 
> Get ready for bedtime stories and fairytale parodies!  
> ... I feel so embarrassed right now

"Kids, meet your new baby brother, Retina."  
Iris's speech was babyish, but cute. "No. I'm the little one."  
"You are sweety, but this little guy is more little than even you."  
Iris stared at her sleeping brother, then replied,  
"Okay!"

The two parents chuckled at their daughter. Sylvia and Wander approached.   
"Come on you two, let's get you home."  
The twins stared at her in horror.   
"But Aunty Sylviaaa..."  
"No buts you two." Said Peepers "I'll come home with you. You gonna be okay with the baby honey?"  
"I'll be fine Peepers. Don't be so worried. I'll see you soon."  
"Love you Mummy!!" Chorused the twins, before disappearing with their father, Wander and Sylvia. 

———

"Do you like our new brother Iris?"  
"I love him! I can't wait for him to be older so we can play together!"

That was when their father entered the room. "Okay, you two. Bedtime."  
They crawled into their beds. Cornea looked at his dad in request.   
"Can we have story?"  
"Which story do you want?" Said the Commander, sitting down on the chair by the door.   
The twins leaned into each other, discussing their choice. They then came up, and said in unison, "The Three Little Robots!"  
"Okay. I'll go get it."

When Peepers had a book in his hands, he began to read...

"Once upon a time, there were three little robots. One day, they all left home to build their own. The first made his house out of straw. But then, a big bad shark came to the house. He said, 'Little Robot, Little Robot, Let me in!' The robot replied, 'not by the antenna on my little head.' The shark was furious. So he partied, and partied, and blew the house away. The robot ran to his brothers house. A house of sticks. The shark came up and said, 'Little Robot, Little Robot, Let me in!' The robots replied, 'not by the antennas on our little heads.' So the shark partied, and partied, and blew the house away. The robots ran to the third brothers house. The third brother had been smart about his building. He had made his house out of metal. The shark came up and said, 'Little Robot, Little Robot, Let me in!' The robots replied, 'not by the antennas on our little heads.' The shark partied, and partied, but couldn't blow away the house, because it was made of metal. So the shark decided to go down the chimney. The robots blocked the fireplace with the same metal that the house was made of, so the shark couldn't get into the house. It worked! The shark had nowhere to go, so the robots called the police, who took the big bad shark back to his limo.   
The end."

The twins were fast asleep, so Peepers gave them each a kiss, and exited the room. "Goodnight kids. There's three of you now, just like in the story."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Three Little Robots is based on the episode The Party Animal and the Earth story, The Three Little Pigs. I don't own the show, the Three Little Pigs, or the canon characters. I own Eyela, Cornea, Iris and Retina.


	13. 2023: The Return Of Dominator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can any Simpsons fans see the reference at the start?

It was more or less quiet on the Skullship that day. If you looked past the sounds of the Commander's twin son and daughter fighting over a toy, that is. 

If you concentrated, you might just hear the argument.   
"That's mine!"  
"I didn't see your name on it!"  
"It's right there!"  
That's when their mother finally stepped in. "Cornea! Don't write on your toys."  
"Haha! Mum yelled at you!"

Deep in the shadows of the ship, a mysterious figure crept silently. This figure was Ex Lord Dominator, a former galactic tyrant. She made her way to the conference room, where a meeting was going on. 

Dominator then made a terrible mistake. A loud blaring noise was heard. She had triggered the alarms! The whole ship came alive, and she retreated to the air vent above her. 

Lord Hater emerged from the conference room, shouting orders to his subordinates. Dominator overheard one in particular that seemed odd to her. "Protect the pups!"

She knew the term pups was used to describe young and adolescent Watchdogs. But who's kids...?

Then she remembered the news she had passed off as a rumour. Hater's Commander had kids now. 

She laid down, biding her time. Waiting for it to come.  

———

When it finally did, she jumped down, keeping to the shadows. 

She made it to the throne room, the inner sanctum of the ship. And who else would she run into than the electrical skeleton man himself. He sounded very menacing. She guessed he must have gotten over her by now. 

"Why are you on board my ship?"  
She said nothing. He continued. "Are you aware that you are no longer seen as a member of this galaxy?"  
Dominator thought quickly. "I heard that your Commander, Peepers was it?" When Hater nodded, she continued, "I heard that he's a father now. I just wanted to offer him and the mother my congratulations."  
"We both know that isn't why you're here. Besides, Peepers is at the annual conference. Surely you knew that happens this time of year."  
"Fine, I'm here because I wanted to apologise. I was a major jerk. I should have listened to Wander and changed my ways sooner."  
"I'm not the only one you need to apologise to. You need to say sorry to all those people whose homes you destroyed. You need to say sorry to Awesome, he's got PTSD because of you. Most of all, you need to apologise to Wander and Sylvia."  
"I intend to. And I know it's probably too late, but can I still have you for that coffee date you promised?"

Hater stared at her in shock. His stammering was evident. "Y-Yeah. S-s-sure we c-can."  
"Okay. I'll meet you outside here tomorrow at about 10. Is that a good time?"  
"That's a great time."  
"Thank you. I really hope that everyone can forgive me for what I did."  
"I'm sure they will."

After they waved goodbye, Hater was approached by a Watchdog.   
"Sir, Commander Peepers is going to be home early. He said they cancelled the last day."  
"Okay. That's fine."

A nasally, familiar voice was heard around the corner. "I'm back!" 

Hater glared at the messenger, "You could've said he was home now!"  
"Sorry..."

Peepers poked his head around the door, still wearing civilian clothes. "Sir, why do you have that lovestruck look on your face? That hasn't happened in years."

Hater took a deep breath. This was going to be a hard explanation...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t own canon characters, both them and the show belong to Disney. Eyela and the Watchpups (Yeah, that’s what I’m calling them) belong to me.


	14. 2024: The Peace Treaty

"Awesome! We need to talk!"

The Sharkman woke up to Lord Hater screaming. "What? I was in the middle of something, Hatey!!"  
"Like what? Sleeping in your hot tub?"  
"Fine. What do you want?"  
"You do know that Peepers and Eyela are parents, right?"  
"So?"  
"So... I want to draw up a peace treaty with you."  
"Going a little too fast for someone like you."  
"For the kids sake. I can't believe I'm doing this."

Awesome paused and thought for a moment, then decided that maybe it WAS time for the rivalry to end. For once in a long time, he started thinking about other people's feelings. How much pain had this war caused to families?

"Okay bro. Fine. We'll sign a treaty."

He called to Knucklehead, and told him to go to a lawyers office and get an agreement sheet ready. Then, he turned to Hater. 

"Want a drink while we're waiting?"

———

The two villains were hanging out for the first time in ages. Hater remembered how terrible the last time had been. How he had almost lost his best friend because of the person he had become friends with. 

His thoughts were interrupted by Awesome's voice. "Will Peepers be signing too?"  
"Yeah, it was his idea. He's just getting the kids to school. Then he's coming."

Frantic footsteps were heard in the hall. 

"Speak of the devil." Said Awesome. Commander Peepers burst in a second later. 

"Sorry! Retina was being particularly stubborn today."

They sat down. Knucklehead turned up a few minutes later with a formal agreement. 

The terms were as follows:   
Both empires agree not to argue over planets. If an argument does occur, flip a coin for it.   
The leaders meet annually on each other's ships to reinforce the arrangement. The ship will be on rotation. (One year Skullship, the next the Limo.)  
This agreement can be broken at anytime if both leaders consent to it.   
No attacks must be made on or around each other's territory. 

At the bottom were four lines on which to sign. 

After they all signed, Hater and Peepers stayed for about five hours. Then Peepers remembered the kids, and sped off to the school that they were enrolled at, leaving Hater with the Shark Man. 

"You can go Hatey. I'll just print you a copy of this."  
"Thanks."

The next few years would have peace between the two leaders and armies. That Hater, Peepers, Awesome and Knucklehead would make sure of...


	15. 2025: The Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the storm...

This was it. Again. But this time, it was Hater and Dominator's big day. It seemed to have taken forever. Seemed like only yesterday that Dominator had come back and changed her ways. 

Both were getting ready. Peepers was naturally the best man, and Sylvia and Eyela acted as the bridesmaids. Wander would be marrying them. They all prayed that Wander didn't scream in everyone's ears. 

"Are you sure I look okay Peepers?" Hater nervously asked the Watchdog next to him.   
"You look fine, sir." The Commander replied, using a lint roller to get rid of anything that made the borrowed suit scruffy. "Just take a deep breath."  
Hater did so. "Any advice C. Peeps?"  
"Just remember that you love her, and she's the person you want to spend the rest of your life with."  
"I'm a little nervous."  
"A common occurrence. Don't worry."

———

The majority of the wedding party were standing at the alter. Hater kept whispering to Peepers that it was taking forever. 

When Dominator walked down the aisle, she wore a silk white wedding dress with a slit up to her left knee. 

When she got to the alter, Wander started talking. "Dearly beloved. We are gathered her today to celebrate the union of Lord Hater and Lord Dominator. Any who object to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace."  
"They'll destroy us all! Them individually are bad enough!" Came a voice from the back. Hater's fist began glowing with green electricity, but he was stopped by Peepers giving him a soft nudge and Dom looking at him in puzzlement.   
Wander continued, "And now, the vows. Do you, Lord Hater, take Dominator to be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and in health, till death do you part?"  
Hater just stared into her eyes until the best man whispered, "Sir, that's your cue."  
"I-I Do."  
"And do you, Lord Dominator, take Lord Hater to be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and in health, till death do you part?"  
"What do you think? Hell yeah!"  
"May I have the rings?"

Cornea, the ringbearer, approached them with the wedding rings. They slid the rings gently onto each other's fingers. 

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss."

They did so to everyone's cheers. They were going to be very happy together...


	16. 2026-2036: The Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was at this point I decided to have a plot...

After all those years, everything and everyone changed. The Eyesore kids were fast approaching adulthood, and if Eyela and Peepers were honest about it, they felt WAY too old. Not old enough to retire, but old nonetheless. Hater and Dominator had a daughter, who was about eight years old. Wander and Sylvia were permanent faces on the ship now, and had gotten married themselves, with a baby on the way. 

And now, came a much more drastic change. Hater had permanently given up his evil ways. The Hater Empire was now known as the Hater Federation of Planets. 

It felt... right to everyone. Well, almost. It had been a vote from the army that had sealed the Empires fate. About 75% of the army voted for the change, most having been influenced by Wander himself. That meant a quarter of Hater's men disagreed with the change, but being some of the most loyal people in the galaxy, they begrudgingly stayed. 

One Watchdog stared off into the pitch black and bright stars of the galaxy. He sighed before facing the bridge and the still-evil-but-not-really portion of the Watchdogs. Only that group knew of their future plans. Plans to get off this blasted ship and build their own Empire. As everyone else was asleep, the leader had no fear of bringing out an evil cackle...

His plan would soon be put into action...


	17. 2037: The Betrayal

With such a drastic change as the transition from bad to good, came a heavy price. Eyela and Peepers were arguing about it with their eldest, Cornea. 

"I'm telling you Mum, Dad, we're going soft!"  
"That is enough Cornea!"  
"Your father is right, son. We all made a choice to give up evil and the empire."  
"I had nothing to do with that choice. I'm sure Iris and Retina would agree with me, right?"  
They all glanced at the others. Iris gave her twin brother a hard look. "Bro, it was a democratic vote. Even if me and Retina DID share your view, the yes's far outweighed the no's. Sorry."  
"You know what, it's fine." Cornea stepped outside the room. "I'm going outside to clear my head."

When he left, Peepers told his wife something important, "I've got a feeling. Get yourselves to the throne room," He said as he equipped his helmet and small blaster. "Wait for my signal."  
"Peepers, are you going to tell me what your feeling is?"  
"No time to explain."

And with that, the Watchdogs ran out the room and separated. Peepers ran toward the Sector G security office. He just hoped Andy wasn't filming his show. 

Thankfully, he wasn't. "What can I do for you, Sir?"  
"Can you track Cornea's movements? I've got a bad feeling."  
"Like, parent bad or bad bad?"  
"Bad bad."  
"Okay, come on in. I've got the footage."  
"Thanks Andy."

As they watched Cornea's movements, they noticed he was looking rather shifty and suspicious. He then disappeared into the weapons bay. He later emerged with at the most a quarter of the army behind him. They were all carrying high level blasters. 

"Andy, put the ship on lockdown. I'll tell everyone."  
"Yes, Sir!"

The Commander pulled out his communicator, and put it out to everyone on the ship. "Attention, we have an opposing force on board. Get the young ones to the panic room, and report to interception point in Sector G. This is not a drill!"

When Eyela, Dominator, Hater, Wander and Sylvia heard that announcement, all five of them shared worried looks. 

———

Hater led the regiments to Sector G. He was more determined than he had ever been before. His fists seered with green electricity. 

He was stumped when he saw Cornea hurtle towards them. This was why he heard the family argue, and the concealed hurt in his Commander's voice when he had made the announcement. Cornea has betrayed them all. 

———

"Sir, they're outside the door." A worried Andy told Peepers.   
"Get behind me Andy."  
"But..."  
"That's an order."

After Andy was behind him, Peepers pulled out his blaster. Just as a Watchdog kicked the door down. 

———

Wander, Sylvia and her daughter hadn't been happy about being herded into the panic room. But she couldn't risk any of them. Sylvia was the only one she could have taken, had she not been pregnant. 

Dominator now rushed to her husband's aid. She only hoped she wasn't too late. 

———

"You two should give up. You're outnumbered."  
"Not on your life." was Peepers' reply. He turned towards Andy, who saw the worry etched in his Commander's eye. "Andy, get into the vents. I'll hold them off."  
"Sir, I'm not gonna leave you to fight them by yourself."  
"You're going to have to."  
"Okay Sir. I'll get backup."   
Peepers nodded as Andy ran toward the air duct in the corner of the room. Then a harsh cackling sounded. Cornea! How had he gotten past the blockade?  
"Hello, Dad..."

It was at that point that all hell broke loose. 

———

Eyela, Iris and Retina were running. As fast as their legs could carry them. They had to get to the security room. That was where the confrontation was going on, according to Andy. 

They burst in just in time. Cornea was standing over an unconscious Peepers. The young Watchdog turned toward his family, and they immediately noticed the change in him. His warm smile was gone, and they saw pure malice in his eye. "I told you we'd gone soft." He said proudly.   
"What did you do?" His mother was furious with him.   
"Me? Well, I just betrayed you all. And now, we will say bye to dear old dad." He said with no familial love, and pointed the blaster at Peepers' head. 

Before he could pull the trigger, thank grop, Retina made a leap, and knocked the blaster out of his hand, and it was picked up by Iris. 

Cornea backed toward the air vent, cursing all the way. "You may have won this time. But you haven't heard the last of me!"

And just like that, he was gone. 

———

The aftermath had been mournful. For everyone involved. Many Watchdogs missed the friends they lost to Cornea, those who joined his ranks and those who died in battle alike. 

They had to cling to the hope it wouldn't get any worse.

Unfortunately, they were wrong...


	18. 2038: The Choice

It was harder than they thought. To fight against one of their own. But they didn't have any choice. Cornea was tearing the galaxy apart. Every planet he gained was a planet they lost. A planet used against them. 

It got harder for the remaining Eyesores after every battle, but the Commander kept it together. Every fight he was in, the army won. 

They had too...

———

"Foiled again!" The angry voice came from Cornea. His Lieutenant approached nervously.  
"Sir..."  
"Silence! What did we say about interrupting me?"

Lieutenant Grey took an involuntary step back.  
"Answer me Grey!"  
"To... not to?"  
"Yes." The villain breathed, malice dripping from every letter. "And what did you do?"  
"Interrupt you."  
"Well, what is it?! Come on, I haven't got all day!!"

"It appears the secret to the enemies success is your father, Sir." He began.  
"Yes. I agree. He has been a thorn in my side for far too long. And he is NOT my father."  
"Of course sir."  
"Good thing I have an inside eye."  
"What do you mean, Sir?" The officer was genuinely stumped.  
Cornea tapped the side of his head. "All in good time..."

———

"Alright men. We need to decide on the best course of action." Began the Commander. "Any ideas?"

Those in the room looked deep in thought. They concentrated deeply.

Unfortunately, the concentration was broken by Retina bursting into the boardroom. 

"Dad! Cornea is here!"

Peepers sighed and stood up. "Looks like forming a plan is gonna have to wait."

Father and son ran toward the bridge. They whooshed past Wander and Sylvia, who were dealing with their four month old son. 

Eyela and Iris had joined them on the way, as had Hater and Dominator. 

The group of six skidded to a halt in front of the villain and his second. 

Cornea spoke first. "So, you finally decided to grace me with your presence."  
Hater scoffed. "You have no right. This is NOT your ship."  
"Well, if it isn't right now, it will be soon."

The group of six stared in puzzlement. Cornea smirked. "Ah. You don't know about my inside eye."  
Hater was furious. "What are you talking about?" He snarled.  
"All in good time."  
"What are you up too?" Muttered Peepers. His only reply was an evil cackle. 

Then Cornea turned and left. They all watched as he boarded his own ship. 

When he disappeared, the unnerving silence was shattered by Hater ordering an emergency meeting. 

———

"What are we going to do?"  
"It seems our only option is to wait for his next move." Replied Sylvia to a worried and anxious Lord Hater. Not the best combination of feelings for him.  
"I agree. The only problem is that we can't just act like sitting ducks all throughout that period." Peepers mentioned.  
Hater was deep in thought, then made up his made. "Increase security around the ship and on the Federation planets. I'll warn Awesome. Hopefully he'll get the message and sort out his own security as well."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, not that proud of this one...


	19. 2039: The Mole

Everything had been relatively quiet for the past few months. They should have known it wasn't a good sign. The  latest battle between the Watchdog and Dictatorial Armies had too many deaths on both sides. 

The Commanding Officers had worked day in, day out to calm down the families who had lost those close to them on the battlefield. 

It was their worst loss yet...

———

Lieutenant Nerve was the first to speak. "What are we gonna do?"  
Commander Peepers was at a loss as to what to say. He sat with his head in his hands, and occasionally rubbed his temple. Eyela sat next to him, a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

Iris was the one to answer. "It's obvious that we have a mole on board the ship. They knew our strategy this time around. Someone is feeding information to the Dictatorial forces. But who?"  
Retina gazed at his sister in shock. How did she know? "Why do you assume that?"  
"Because Cornea said he had an 'inside eye' last time he came round. Furthermore, we're twins. I know him better than you think."  
Jim cut in. "But who could it be?"  
"There's a possibility that it's not anyone on the ship. He may have gained access to the ship's security system and cameras." They jumped when they heard Peepers' voice.   
"Are you sure Sir?" Nerve questioned.   
"Not entirely, but check the system for any hackers and bugs."  
"Yes Sir! Andy," Nerve turned toward the Skullship's head of security. "Check the system for any malware and debug it if necessary."

Andy had already started, fingers flying across the keyboard of the laptop he had carried to the meeting. He placed his headset over his almost non existent ears. While he was working, the others exchanged nervous glances. 

They were all brought out of their thoughts by Andy's frantic voice. "Unidentified application detected Sir."  
"Do you think you can decode it?"  
"I'll do my best."

Fingers continued to fly until he managed to figure it out. "Sir, it has Cornea's starter code programmed in."  
"Understood. Get rid of it."  
"Already done Sir. We're debugged."  
A cheer rose from everyone at the table. Peepers sighed in relief. "Thank Grop."

———

No sooner had they begun to celebrate, a call came in. Nerve ran up to Peepers, his eye ashen. "Sir, it's Cornea."  
"How long has he been waiting?"  
"About 2 minutes Sir." He replied as they walked toward the bridge. The guards jumped aside when they saw them coming. 

"Finally. I was beginning to wonder when you would show up."  
"Nerve, wait outside."  
"Yes sir." Nerve reluctantly stepped back from the bridge.  
"What do you want Cornea?"  
"To say congratulations on debugging the malware I set up. But you still need to figure out who the mole is."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I thought you would have figured it out by now. Tick tock. Time is running out, Daddy dearest."

And just like that, the screen went black. When Peepers came out of the bridge, Nerve took notice of his shocked expression. "What happened?"  
"More news. And no one will like it."

———

"Seriously?" Andy was shocked. "Okay Sir, I'll do background checks. On both new and old soldiers. Yes, the new recruits are getting on marvellously." He was interrupted by Steven, the head of recruiting. "One moment, Steven. Yes Sir it is Steven. Thanks." He put his communicator down, turning to the recruiting officer. "Yes Steven. What is it?"  
"Just thought you should know. One of the senior officers is kicking up a fuss. Says he was the mole."

Andy's shout shook the ship. "WHAT?!! What's he called?"  
"Officer Jeremy."  
"He's always been a troublemaker. It doesn't surprise me. But I better tell the Commander."

Steven nodded, then watched as Andy left the room to call Peepers, taking out his own communicator before saying, "He bought it Sir."  
Cornea appeared on the screen. "Good. They have no idea. Soon, our plan will be put into action."  
"Yes Sir."

———

"What do you mean Andy? Officer Jeremy has been dead since our latest battle with Cornea."  
"I see. That can only mean one thing Sir..."  
"Understood. I'll call in Steven. We need to have a talk." The Commander replied before putting down the communicator. 

Eyela was worried. "Please be careful, honey. If Steven is the mole, then he's likely to kill anyone in the room."  
"I'll be careful. I'll just tell him I want to check how recruitment is going. And I'll have most of the security department hidden."

Eyela wasn't convinced, but nodded her head. 

———

"Steven, how's recruitment going?"  
"It's going fine Sir! Our numbers have sky rocketed."  
"I heard you uncovered the mole. Congratulations."  
"Thank you Sir." Steven said, saluting.   
"Although I can't see how a soldier who's been dead for a week can feed sensitive information to Cornea."

Peepers watched from the corner of his vision as Steven's eye turned ashen. He backed slightly from his superior. The Commander continued. "Jeremy may have been a trouble maker, but he was loyal until the end."  
"I must have gotten the name wrong." Steven muttered. Peepers saw right through him though, but Steven couldn't know that.   
"Very well. Dismissed."

As Steven exited, Peepers turned to Andy, who had been with them at a distance. "Follow him."

Andy nodded. 

———

"Are you sure?"  
"Sir, Peepers saw right through me."

He was openly talking to Cornea, not knowing about Andy's group outside the janitor's closet. 

"What should I do?"  
"Return here. Your mission is over."

Steven was about to do so when Andy burst in, blaster at the ready. "Hands up! You're not going anywhere."

Steven reluctantly did so, and narrowed his eye as another Watchdog came in with handcuffs. 

The threat was not over though...


	20. 2040: The Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don’t kill me for what is to come. The Character Death tag suddenly makes sense...

The mole incident 9 months ago had been... frustrating to say the least. Steven had been apprehended and imprisoned immediately. Already, he had been interrogated countless times by Andy about Cornea's plan with no luck. 

Another interrogation was under way. 

"Are you absolutely sure you've told me everything you know?"  
Steven looked at Andy, slightly fearfully. "Fine. I'll tell you something, it'll happen soon anyway. Maybe too soon for you to do anything or put the proper measures in place. There will be an..." Andy was shocked by the next word. "Assassination. No further comments."

Andy was brought out of his shock by Nerve behind him. "Andy? Is everything okay?"  
"Y-Yeah. I'll tell you when we get out of here..."

———

Lieutenant Nerve looked at his subordinate in shock. "Assassination?"  
"Who do you think is the target?"  
"I'm not sure. But increase security, and place bodyguards around Lord Hater, Commander Peepers and their families."  
"Yes Sir. Right away." Andy saluted. 

———

Captain Tim whimpered as guards came into the room. He scurried towards Hater, who scooped him up. 

The Lord was quick to question the new faces. "What's going on?"

One of the Watchdogs in question was happy to share. "New information on Cornea's plan sir. They've increased security."  
"What info is it?"

The guard hesitated. He approached Hater with a nervous look on his face, whispering into his non-existent ear. 

Shock, then anger took hold. How dare Cornea be planning something so, for lack of a better term, low? Even for him?

His thoughts were sidetracked by the sound of a blaster shot...

———

The hallway was a cacophony of noise, chaos, and one massive crowd. Hater figured it was pretty bad for the incident to get this much attention. 

Then he kicked himself. Of course the sound of a blaster shot was going to attract attention!

Pushing through the crowds of Watchdogs, with the occasional "Make way!", he was able to see what was causing all the commotion. And what he saw sent shivers down his spine...

Commander Peepers lay on the floor in a pool of blood...

He was immediately snapped out of his freeze up by the sound of Wander gasping. He spun to face the nomad. Had that orange fur not been saturating his body, Wander would be ghost white. At the sight of another person he cared about, Hater snapped into action. 

"Well, why isn't anyone doing anything?!! Get him to the medical bay!!"  
"Hater..." He barely recognised the voice of Sylvia.   
"Don't just stand there!"  
"Hater." Eyela's voice finally broke free from it's grief stricken restraints, but he didn't hear her either.   
"Oh grop!" The Lord's tears streamed down his bony face. He had to stay strong for them...  
"HATER!!" 

Lord Hater turned to the sound of Dominator's voice. She was pale with shock, and was out of breath from her shout. Sylvia stood at her side, the Zbornak's usually bright eyes now devoid of their previous joy. Her powerful tail wrapped carefully around her husband, who embraced her tightly, and she spoke for all of them. "It's... too..." she could barely bring herself to say it, "late."  
"No. It can't be..." Hater barely recognised his own voice, currently strangled with tears. 

"Dad..."  
"What happened?"  
The voices of Iris and Retina registered, though it was only due to the stunned silence that they were heard. The siblings raced towards their father's lifeless form, tears spilling the whole way. Eyela rushed to what remained of her family, and she hugged them tightly, as if some unknown force would take them away from her as well. The trio knelt beside him. They were only removed by the medical workers, who were insistent that they leave the ship for a few hours. 

Eyela, of course, started arguing, bringing up excellent points about staying with friends and the need to support each other. The head of the team eventually gave in to the might of a woman, and made everyone at the scene wait outside the medical bay.

———

"Hey Jim."  
"Andy, I came to check on you."  
Andy broke down right there and then. "Jim, I could have prevented this. I could have stopped this from happening. If I had seen the signs, Commander Peepers would still be alive."  
Jim sighed. "Andy. Stop right there and listen to me. This is NOT your fault. This was a very well thought out plan. Even Peepers himself probably wouldn't have been able to tell what was going on around here. This was Cornea. Through and through. This whole thing reeks of him. Please, don't blame yourself."

"Jim, Andy? Are you two in there?"

They wiped tears from their eyes before he could see them. 

"Yeah. Come on in."

Nerve emerged from the other side of the door. "Got news. Cornea said he was behind it. I swear..."

The others both saw where this was going, and slowly backed away. 

"If Cornea thinks he can mess with US, and gloat during the mourning period, I'm gonna punch his face in!"  
As predicted, Nerve unknowingly advanced on his companions. He soon stopped, however. "Sorry guys, I just... hate that guy."  
Jim sympathised. "Who doesn't?"

Andy sprang into action. "Get the security cams up." They did so, but looked puzzled. Any of their questions were answered by the security officer's next statement. "There's more to this than meets the eye. No pun intended."

They rolled their eyes at his joke...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides behind sofa*


	21. 2041: The End of the War

"Are we really going to do this?" The first figure whispered to their companion.  
"Yes. We are." The second shadow replied. "This war ends today."

The first figure lowered their black hood to reveal Iris. The female Watchdog glanced up at the diamond shaped ship before her. Somewhere inside, her own twin brother was plotting the demise of their forces. Someone she used to care deeply about, yet something she was hoping to prevent within the next few hours. Even so, she was hesitant.  
"Mum told us not to risk our lives, Retina."  
Her brother stiffened slightly at the use of his name, but answered his elder sister confidently. "Mum isn't here. This is for Dad, remember?"  
It was Iris's turn to stiffen. Their father had been assassinated by an unknown person the previous year. One might say they only accepted this mission because they were heavily grieving, and were trying to get vengeance. 

"Let's go."

———

Eyela awoke with a start, heavily breathing. She glanced at the cold space next to her. Her gaze darkened slightly. Whoever took her husband from her would pay. Dearly. 

She rose from the bed, passing a photo on the wall. She turned to look at it. It was a picture of the entire family. Taken nine years before Cornea's betrayal. She mentally calculated the time frame. So it was about fourteen years old. Tears once again streamed down her face. Had that fateful day not happened, the Eyesore family would be complete. 

Once she got dressed, she made her way to the security office. 

——— 

Andy jumped when he heard the door bang against the wall. He spun from his screen to see Eyela. 

"Eyela. How are you?"  
"I'm fine. And you?"  
"Great. I've been through the security camera footage. I think I've found something."  
"Something on what?" Andy sucked in his breath sharply. No one ever wanted to mention that incident. Eyela quickly understood, giving a soft and quiet, "Oh."  
"Well I was shuffling through the footage. You can't see the actual blaster shot from a long distance away. It actually initially appears within the guard circle. This lines up with the post-mortem. The shot was fired at close range. In the back."  
"Does that mean what I think it means?"

Andy sighed before replying. "Yes, one of his bodyguards is the culprit..."  
"Can you bring up the profiles of those men at the back?"  
"Yes ma'am."

It took several minutes. But they eventually narrowed the suspects down to three soldiers. Mark, John and Joseph. 

"Ma'am, I'll tell the investigation department about this new development. You spend time with your family."  
Andy barely heard her mutter, "What's left of it..." He turned to face her.  
"Ma'am please."

Eyela hesitated. She wanted to know so badly who killed her husband, but agreed to Andy's recommendation anyway. "Okay. I'll go spend time with the family. Let me know if you get any developments."

When she left, Andy tapped at the keyboard. "There's been far too much drama lately. I'm gonna have to ask Bean if he can do the Eye On the Skullship alone this week." He muttered to himself, referring to the cameraman of his show. He continued to study the footage. 

———

Iris and Retina crawled in the vents of their brother's ship. They heard Cornea's voice, and made their way towards it. Soon, they were above him. 

"This is it men. The war ends today."  
"What do you mean boss?"  
Cornea's voice seethed with disgust. "What do I...? You should know, Grey. We're going to wait for them to attack us. And then, we'll defeat them."

He gave an evil chuckle before turning his head toward the air vent. "Oh, and I know you are spying dear siblings."

———

"Iris! Retina! Where are you two? If you've gone on that mission..." 

Just then, a banging noise was heard at the door. When Eyela opened up, she was surprised to see Dominator.  
"Dom? What a surprise. Please come in."  
"I won't stay long. I'm sure you have a lot to do."  
"Not that much. Good news is the kids are nowhere to be seen. They can cause a mess, even at a mature age."  
"Tell me about it. I came round to see how you've been doing since... Peepers..."  
Her replies became soft spoken. "Thank you. And I've been managing. We all have."  
"Have you ever thought about what it would have been like if Peepers hadn't signed up to the army all those years ago? If nothing had happened between you two beyond going out?"  
"I'd think my life, our lives, would have been very boring if we hadn't gotten married. Life is a journey, and we all have to take it. For some, it is ruling, for some it's wandering. And for others, it's fighting for what you believe to be right. What's the point of taking that journey if your destiny is unclear?"  
"I see. But do you... regret anything?"

Eyela sat in thought. She thought about her marriage, the kids, and Cornea's betrayal. Not even that made her regret. "No. There is nothing that I would go back and redo. My family is my life."

Dominator nodded in agreement. 

———

Cornea had taken Iris aside. Away from Retina.  
"Why are you doing this Cornea?"  
"Doing what, following my destiny? Is my family against me? I thought you all cared."  
"I meant you betraying us. Killing dad. Hurting us all. I wasn't against you five years ago. Once upon a time, we'd never be against you. But we are now. My brother would never do anything to tear his family apart. So right now, I don't care about you at all."  
The words cut deep into his soul. "Now, may I return to my brother?"

As a guard escorted Iris back to the cell, Cornea followed them. And he watched his siblings embrace...

———

The door slammed open. The Watchdogs inside jumped, and turned hastily. They saw Hater standing at the doorway, Captain Tim on his shoulder and Dominator by his side. 

They saluted rather hastily. 

"As you were."

As they continued to fly their fingers across keyboards and screens, Hater made his way toward his old throne at the centre of the bridge. He hadn't sat here since the allegiance change five years ago. Old memories, memories gained over 38 years of leadership began to surface. He remembered first stepping onto Vein, the Watchdog home planet. He remembered the armies first invasion. He remembered Wander starting to interfere. Everything up to this point was clear. 

His memories, of his friends and family, would never disappear. 

"Watchdogs, eyes up."

They turned to face him. Such loyal creatures, he thought. But if a species could possess such loyalty, how did Cornea turn?

"Set a course for the last known location of Cornea's ship! Put all soldiers on high alert." As he spoke, he sat on his throne. "This. Ends. NOW!!"

———

"Sir! They're coming right for us!"  
"Let them come. We will fight them till the end!"

———

"Retina, come on! We don't want them to know we escaped."  
"Sorry sis. Guess I blanked out for a second. Let's go."

The siblings kept to the shadows. Surprisingly, they realised that the ship Cornea built looked suspiciously like the Skullship on the inside. Maybe their brother wanted it to feel like home...

They exited the ship to find the outside in utter chaos. They watched their friends fight against the Watchdogs of the Dictatorial Army. 

The Hater Army fought with great strength and courage. They even swore they heard one of them yell, 'For Commander Peepers!' 

Their father had a powerful influence on the army, even in death. And that made them swell with pride...

And at last, with the battle won by Hater's forces, the civil war of 2037-2041, was finally over.


	22. 2042: The Disbandment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Here we go... last chapter.

After the war, things became relatively quiet. As a direct result, the soldiers and officers of the Hater Federation often got bored. Personnel from other armies, federations and empires would come to visit, and often show respect for the fallen of the war. 

However, due to the Watchdog race becoming close to endangerment due to the casualties in the war, the higher ups beyond Lord Hater decided it was best to disband the army. At least until the numbers rose to their previous state.

———

"What do you mean, we've been disbanded?!" Iris was furious.   
As was Sylvia, "Yeah. Hater, please tell us this isn't true."

The skeleton was overcome with shock. "These past few years have been a nightmare for everyone involved. Especially our forces. The higher ups decided it was best to spare everyone more heartache."

Retina's gaze became strict. "Is there something you aren't telling us?"

Hater sighed. "The Watchdog race Population has taken a nosedive. And since Dom destroyed Vein... no offence honey." He heard his wife's, 'Don't worry.' He continued. "You guys have pretty much been taken out."

Eyela's downcast gaze was picked up by her children almost immediately. 

"Mum, what's wrong?"

She perked up almost immediately, and started acting like nothing was wrong.   
"Oh, nothing. Just a little shocked is all."

No one was convinced. "Eyela, we know you better than that." Wander cut in. "It's about Peepers isn't it?"

Most of the people in the room stiffened at the Commander's name, but allowed Wander to take control. 

"Yeah. It's been two years, and we still haven't figured out which of the guards killed him. And well, we won't if the army is disbanded."  
Lord Hater cut in, "Eyela, no offence, but I'm pretty sure the culprit is long gone by now. Besides, the army is only disbanding temporarily. At least until Watchdog numbers come back up."

Iris and Retina shared a glance. Then Iris said something that silenced the entire room. "Retina and I, when the disbandment becomes official, are going to find the culprit. We'll be gone for a while, but we have to."  
Retina took over. "We were going to do this anyway, even if the disbandment hadn't been ordered."

Eyela ran towards them, holding her children in a loving embrace that shocked both of them. 

"Does this mean you're okay with it?"  
"Well, I don't necessarily approve, but if it's really what you want to do, I won't stop you. Just be careful. I can't lose you." She gazed into Iris's eye before turning to her son. "Either of you."

They nodded in response. 

Andy slammed the door open. "We have reason to believe that all of the guards were working together."  
"How long were you outside listening to us?"  
"About an hour..."

———

The siblings were packed to leave. When they exited their joint room, however, they were surprised to see the entire army, as well as many of their friends, waiting outside for them. Their mother came up to them. 

"I've never been more proud of you. I hope you find them. Bring them to justice."  
Iris asked, "Do you think Dad would be proud of us?"  
"There's no doubt in my mind that he would be amazingly proud of you both..."

The family embraced before allowing each other to part ways. 

As the two siblings lost sight of their childhood home and friends, they attempted to gaze beyond their field of vision as they searched for their father's killers...

And as for the people back on the Skullship? They could never leave each other. So they decided to continue living on the ship. It just wouldn't be a military base anymore.

The Watchdog Army had disbanded...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sequel is coming.


End file.
